The Doctrine of the Mean

My goodness, are ancient texts wonderful! A lovely immersion into an Ocean of Truth. Found myself reading this ultra slowly for maximum impact. Excellent for those studying leadership or government reform, which Confucius comments on extensively. Quotes ------ "What Heaven confers is called 'nature.'......more

Real rating: 6.3 Not quite a fan of Kongzi, but that is due to living in China for decades and seeing what his teachings have wrought as well as being inundated with his teachings on a weekly basis. In terms of its ancient state, one should take the time to read this text, but ultimately it is a cond......more

"How great is the way proper to the sage! ... It waits for the proper man, then it is trodden."......more

As an approach to Confucian thought I preferred the first of the Four Books, as this book is equal parts wisdom and anachronistic advice, supposedly distilled by pure logic and "natural law" (I still don't understand for example why it is so crucial for the good ruler to preserve the written charact......more